Daily Bible Reflections

March 11, 2011

TRUE FASTING

“The kind of fasting I want is this: Remove the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice and let the oppressed go free.” – Isaiah 58:6

When I was younger, I used to dread the season of Lent. People seemed sad and sometimes irritable, perhaps a result of hunger pangs. As I grew mature in my faith, I started to look forward to Lent and saw how beautiful a time it truly was. It is a special time to draw closer to God and get to know Him more deeply. Controlling our physical desires creates the space and time we need to be with Him in prayer.
In truth, Lent is a spiritual feast, a time to receive special graces and to grow in virtue as we spend more time with the Lord .
I also realized that the money we save from fasting from things or food we like should be used to feed the hungry, to share with those who are in need, to bring them closer to God by caring for them so that they may know that God loves them, too.
Indeed, God is clear in the kind of fasting that He desires from us: “Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor. Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear and do not refuse to help your own relatives.” (Isaiah 58: 7). Lent, like Christmas, is a time to love! Marjorie Ann Duterte (marjorie.travels@gmail.com)

REFLECTION:
Does my fasting lead me to love God and my neighbor?

Jesus, as we journey with You in Your suffering, help us to love the Father and our brother like You do. Amen.

Daily Bible Reflections

March 10, 2011

YOUR CHOICE

“Here, then, I have today set before you life and prosperity, death and doom.” – Deuteronomy 30:15

Someone who belonged to a conservative church once asked a guest preacher, “Brother, how much makeup should a Christian woman wear on her face if she really loves the Lord?” The preacher answered, “I don’t know, it depends on her face.”
One thing I’ve learned about giving advice is — as much as possible — we’re not supposed to tell the person what to do outright. We give them choices, explain the options, help shed light on what may happen if they choose this or that, and let them decide in the end. Ultimately, the choice is theirs.
God has made it very clear: the price of sin is death; following Him leads to eternal life. When we obey His commands, we are simply walking the path that leads to heaven — the path set for us in the first place. But when we choose sin, we step off that path and take another road — one that leads to death. He longs so much for us to be with Him that He set it up this way. But He also respects our free will and won’t force us to choose Him. Ultimately, it’s our decision. George Tolentino Gabriel (george.svp@gmail.com)

REFLECTION:
Are you faced with a choice today? Which option leads to life, which one leads to destruction?

Lord, open my eyes to the possible consequences of my future actions. Help me to always make the best decision.

Daily Bible Reflections

March 9, 2011

LENT

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. – 2 Corinthians 5:21

When I was a child, I used to dread Ash Wednesday. It usually meant more than a month of not being able to eat meat on Fridays, giving up something I really like — chocolates, colored drinks, TV — as a sacrifice for the season. Holy Week was even more grueling: no good TV shows, I wasn’t allowed to stay out late to play, and all our Holy Week traditions.
But as I grew up and got to know God better, I found myself learning to appreciate Lent more. I used to think Advent and Christmas mattered more, but now I know that Christmas is just the start of the story. Lent, with Holy Week and Easter, is not only the climax, but the ending as well. What we remember and celebrate during Lent is the crux of our belief. Lent reminds us of how much God loved us by letting His only Son die in our place to save us from our sins.
Today is Ash Wednesday and it marks the start of the Lent. May this season be a meaningful one for all of us. Tina Matanguihan (tina.matanguihan@gmail.com)

REFLECTION:
“Ash Wednesday is our reminder to celebrate the mysterious mercy of a God who would love us this much.” (Liz Kelly)

Lord, help me to see You in this Lenten season.

Daily Bible Reflections

March 4, 2011

BEG GOD!

Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. – Mark 10:46

I have never yet sat in a corner to beg for alms. But I remember one time in college or high school — I’m not sure when and why — I went to a parish rectory and asked for transportation money. That was embarrassing enough for me.
The term “beg” implies desperation and recklessness, as though you’re caught in a corner and you have no choice but to ask without shame. There’s another angle to the word though, and I think it’s the hope and faith that you have when you beg. I wouldn’t have chosen to go to a parish rectory if I had not thought they were not more open to giving than if I just asked someone on the street.
Many spiritual writers say begging is one of the best postures to take when we come before the Lord. We must not forget that when we beg the Lord, He always wants to restore us to dignity, unlike how the world operates.
So in prayer, let us be beggars — coming before a kindly and generous King and Father. Joy Sosoban (jsosoban@gmail.com)

REFLECTION:
Are you afraid to come before God and to beg Him in prayer?

Thank You, Lord, that You are always there waiting for me.